You can see from another map that it’s coming right at us. The Sheriff predicts it will start hitting us around 3 pm, though we suspect it might not be until 4 or later.
Interestingly, they use the term Bow Echo. That term suggests strong winds and the risk of tornados. Along with that, there is a tornado watch until 7 pm. Obviously expect heavy rains as well. CBS 4 in Miami also sees a high risk of lightning.

Here’s our photo of the day, and maybe the week. Today is the coldest day of the year in West Boca.
We don’t see any ice.
Remember folks – if there’s no frost on the greens, it’s golf weather. But wear a sweater.
And check out our West Boca weather page for hyperlocal weather details.

With the temperature dropping to 40 degrees tonight and a freeze warning in some parts, we have some tips for Floridians unfamiliar with cold weather. I lived most of my life in Albany NY, where the high for this week is 40 and it’s expected to hit zero in a few days.
So …
5. Wear a hat. You lose a lot of body heat through your head. Hats keep your head warm and that keeps your body warmer.
4. Wear layers. It’s not the fabrics that keep you warm. It’s the air between the layers of fabric that really provide the insulation. So wear a t-shirt under a long sleeved shirt under a sweater, and then a jacket if necessary.
3. Move. Getting your body moving helps you generate your own heat. So jump up and down or run in place. Don’t actually move fast because that means wind which draws heat from you.
2. Stay inside. It’s much warmer inside your house or car.
1. Get real. Recognize that 40 degrees still isn’t cold. As kids in Albany, a 40 degree day in January was a warm spell and we would play outside all day in shorts and t-shirts. It’s golf weather if there’s no frost on the greens.

We’ve added some weather information to our website. First of all, on the right column you can see a “widget” showing current conditions and a brief forecast. The data comes from an unofficial weather station in Boca Falls.
We also added a page with more weather resources: West Boca Weather. It’s under the West Boca section of our menu.
It may be obvious but this addition was triggered by all the flooding experienced in Palm Beach County today. We really appreciate the Boca Police Chief’s sense of humor:

Due to Hurricane Sandy, Palm Beach County schools will close three hours early on Thursday and all day Friday.
For more details, read the Palm Beach County Schools NewsApparently the forecast high winds can pose problems for school buses. That makes sense. Seems a little premature to cancel Friday already. But if you’re in their shoes, it might seem like the prudent thing to do.

Schools will be closed Monday in West Boca and the rest of Palm Beach County. The school board made the decision at roughly 1 am due to worsening storm conditions.
At this writing we are hearing heavy rain and high winds outside, just a couple hours before school buses will start picking up students. Looks like a good decision. But maybe a little late? Expect a few complaints.Palm Beach School District school closing announcement.